Israeli Army Fire Kills 2 Palestinians

HASSAN FATTAH

Published 7:00 pm, Sunday, February 2, 2003

Associated Press Writer

Two Palestinian farmers were killed by Israeli tank fire in the Gaza Strip on Monday, while an opinion poll indicated that Palestinians increasingly are feeling the economic pinch of their 28-month-old conflict with Israel.

In the village of Abassan in the Gaza Strip, Israeli tanks fired shells and machine guns in an open area, killing two men, ages 60 and 29, and wounding four others with shrapnel and gunshots, Palestinian security officials said.

The Israeli military said the shots were fired about 60 yards from a restricted border fence.

In the past, soldiers have fired toward Palestinians in what the army considers restricted areas.

Monday's poll was conducted by the independent Palestinian Center for Public Opinion among 1,100 West Bank residents. The survey indicated that support for the uprising against Israeli occupation is holding relatively steady at 40.6 percent, compared to 38.6 percent three months ago.

However, when asked how much longer they can tolerate the economic hardships of the conflict, only 18.4 percent of respondents said they could hold out for another four months, compared to 64.2 percent three months ago.

The survey had an error margin of 2.9 percentage points.

Israel has imposed stringent travel bans in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the past 28 months of fighting to try to keep out Palestinian militants. The closures and curfews have devastated the Palestinian economy.

"The results highlight the dramatic economic effects the uprising has had on Palestinian lives," said Palestinian pollster Toni Selsa.